This Family Guy Theory Will Convince You That Brian Griffin Isn’t Gone For Good

Whether you’re a Family Guy fan or not, by now you’ve probably heard the news that the show killed off one of its most beloved characters, Brian Griffin, this week. I would say spoiler alert, but I think the Internet as a whole gave up on keeping this death a secret about halfway through the day yesterday. What the Internet has not given up on is trying to figure out what the hell this whole thing is about. Is Brian dead for good? Is the show just messing with us? Let’s look at some of the existing evidence that Brian will be back, as well as a very convincing fan theory that has been circulating about exactly how he’ll return.

Mysterious website aside, it was in the comments section of that very TVLine article that I noticed some fans speculating about how Brian will ultimately return to the show. I started searching around more and noticed that various fans have offered up this theory in different places, including Reddit. I must say it has me convinced. Let’s talk it out, shall we?

Time travel confuses me, and I never expected to do this much complex thinking about a fart-joke-heavy cartoon, but there appears to be a bit of a loophole that will allow Stewie to use his time machine to his advantage in saving Brian. His destruction of the machine and the fact that he couldn’t get the part he needed to rebuild it seemed to suggest there was no hope. But what about the brief cutaway in which Stewie explained how he traveled ahead to Christmas to get the best toys early? Watch it below (via ComicBook.com).

The show’s famous for these cutaways and they’re usually just for comic effect, but could this one have been put there for a reason? The way the theory goes, when Christmas rolls around, present-day Stewie (the one who lost Brian) will run into time-traveling Stewie (from before Brian died) and tell him to save Brian from the car. The theory is given even more weight with the news that December 15th’s episode, “Christmas Guy,” has a plot in which Stewie tries to get “the one and only thing he wants for Christmas.”

If you want to fall down a fan theory rabbit hole, read the rest of the Reddit thread about this, which even includes the suggestion that the death Family Guy announced ahead of time wasn’t actually Brian’s but Meg’s, whose death in the near future was hinted at in a recent episode. As annoying as it is that the show is toying with fans’ emotions like this, I’m always up for a few good TV theories, and I never expected to get them with a series like this.

I never thought I’d be so intrigued by a cartoon. I don’t even watch, but I’m still roped in somehow. CURSE YOU BRIAN.

Chris Attwood

LOL, he didn’t mean to die haha. And look what it’s done, got you who doesn’t watch talking about it and if he comes back you’ll watch to see what the fuss is about, marketing genius if you ask me.

kris

Or you can tell he will be back because there’s pics of future episodes with brian in them, like Fairy Guy and another one they showed at comic con. That’s proof for ya.

Jill O’Rourke

I saw that. Could be another way of throwing people off about who would die, but I’m still pretty convinced at this point that he’ll be back.

luke

Plus if you pay attention in the other time there at at the beginning stewie takes the return pad to the other time machine so he might be able to save Brian with that

Jill O’Rourke

Ah, interesting.

Charmywoo ☮&♥

I noticed that Death didn’t turn up, he usually makes an appearance!

Danielle

VERY interesting theory and I desperately hope your are right. I have a theory as well…sort of. The actor who plays Vinny, is only signed to do 6 episodes. The 6th episode that Vinny should be in, is called “3 Acts of God”…that title sounds pretty suspicious to me. It would definitely be an episode Brian would come back in.

Steph

3 Acts of God was the first episode Vinny was in.

Danielle

No, Vinny was in the episode Brian died in. That episode was called Life of Brian. 3 Acts of God airs January 26, 2014.

TruthEnjoyment

100% incorrect. Wow.

TruthEnjoyment

100% incorrect. Wow.

Gösta Honk

You’re all fucking retarded… ofc he’ll be back!

Dingus

Also Stewie never destroyed the return pad from the indian stewie which could mean he would go back to when he took back the guns and tell past stewie & brian to not through out the time machine.

Kate

Has no one noticed that the car that killed Brian looks like Brian’s car.

tinyteeny

I don’t think so. Brian drives a prius that car looked like a benz

Nicholas Gonzalez

Ok first of all ( this is for the family guy writers) Having Vinnie as the new character was the Dumbest thing ever. I’m so pissed of about this and I want Brian back but I want him back in Christmas Guy ( A Family guy episode). If you don’t bring Brian back then I will never watch your show again.

Ccraig

Okay this is what I think remember how Stewy teleporter pad got shot at when they were running away from the Indians and remember how Stewie went to the Indian version of the griffins and grabbed the other teleporter pad I think that throughout other episodes stewy l he will realize that he still has that teleporter pad and that’s how Brian will come back is that Stewy Will use that teleporter pad to go back in time to save Brian!

Moniem strothers

I will never watch a family guy again with that bitch dog vinny nobody likes you I hate you die. Stewie quit letting that dog get to you fuck him no dog in the world can replace brian

JAOK

Brian was in the car and he ran over himself to stop him from accidently killing someone

Krogan

Bottom line for me, if they kept those creepy assholes Herbert and Quagmire and permanently killed Brian Im done with the show. They stopped being funny a long time ago and fuck knows they’ve got it coming.

Dom

Give vinny a fuckin chance holy shit settle down

Danielle

You were right on spot. They brought him back in the Christmas episode, just like you said they would.

Jill O’Rourke

To be fair, I didn’t come up with the theory, but I certainly bought it. I’m glad Brian’s back.